Men aren't always the easiest to shop for. Most of the time, I just ask Eddie what he wants, but it gets kind of old to buy the same cologne, or a shirt, or workout clothes year after year. Here are a few ideas that are none of those! 

Yeti Mug - Perfect for keeping his coffee hot while he helps you with the kids in the morning. Or just for keeping his coffee hot. 
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Mobot Water Bottle - If your guy is anything like mine, his foam roller is really important to him. I thought this water bottle was so cool, especially because you can take it with you when you travel, and it won't take up a ton of space in your suitcase!

Moisturizer with SPF - As women, we tend to be very conscious about our skincare and protecting it from the sun. Men don't always think of that, so give him a gift that tells him you care about him (and keeping him looking young). 

Old Fashioned Cocktail Kit - Get him this kit so he can make his own fancy cocktail! Plus, this is a local company, so you will be supporting a local small business. 

Monogrammed AirPods Case - Because who don't love a good monogrammed product? 

Bamboo Pajama Shirts and Shorts - Women aren't the only ones who let their sleepwear get dingy. Give him this super soft and super comfortable set, and he'll be cuddling right up to you. 

Catchall Tray - If he can't find his keys or his wallet on a regular basis, this beautiful catchall tray gives him a place to put everything as soon as he gets home. When he's ready to leave, it's all in one place!

Truff Hot Sauce & Mike's Hot Honey - If your man likes to eat things with a little kick, you can't go wrong with these! Eddie absolutely loves them. 

Theragun - Also for the man who works out hard - the Theragun is amazing for soothing aching muscles and undoing knots. 

Candlelight Miami (not pictured): If he's been missing live music, this is a very cool event where they are playing classical music by candlelight. COVID precautions are being taken - social distancing, masks must be worn, and it is outdoors, but it looks like a very cool event. 

I hope this helps you find something for that special guy in your life! 

xoxo, 

​Jenise

Valentine's Day is 2 weeks away and if you're stumped on what to get for your kids, here are a few ideas! 

Chapters Not Chocolates - You can never go wrong with a book. Check out the idea my friend Jenny from Princess Turned Mom started a few years ago and we started doing as well. I even brought it to the kids' school last year and the media specialist has turned it into a really great program for the month of February! Check out some of my favorite Valentine books on my Amazon storefront! ​

Teaching Tiny Humans ABCs Play Doh kit - We received one of these kids back in the fall, and my kids have been absolutely obsessed with them. The dough dried up already, so I figured I would get them a cute new themed kit for Valentine's Day. ​These sensory kits are great and keep them busy for hours at a time. So it's a gift for them, but also a gift for mom! 

Jewelry - Taudrey has very cute jewelry for little girls - they would make a great gift for Valentine's Day! Chloe still has this bracelet set and still wears it often! ​Use the code topknot10 for a 10% discount!

xoxo, 

​Jenise

With a little less than a month to go, it's time to start thinking about Valentine's Day gifts. Eddie and I actually don't usually exchange anything big for Valentine's Day, because our anniversary is just a couple weeks later. But these are all things that would be on my list! You can treat yourself or you can not-so-subtly send the link to this in an email to your significant other! (Or maybe do both? lol) A lot of these would also make great gifts for a girlfriend. 

​Cozy Earth Pajamas* - Hands down, the softest, most comfortable pajamas I've ever worn. The fabric is bamboo-based and the fit, the drape, and comfort is just perfect. They help with temperature regulation and they have helped me sooo much in that department. These are a nice splurge gift, but they are worth it if you can swing it! Use the code ATODDLERANDATOPKNOT40 for 40% off your order. 

Taudrey Bracelet Set - Late last year, I partnered with Taudrey again and we re-worked my Have a Little Faith Bracelet Set*. If you haven't snagged your set yet, this would be a great gift (get the bangle engraved with an important date and you're golden!). Use the code topknot10 for 10% off your order!

Boho Birch Personalized Planter - This planter is very cute and you can personalize it with any message you'd like! I love that my kids' names are on this one, but you can do it with an important date, your name and your significant other's name, or a sweet message!

Barefoot Dreams Blanket* - If you have someone you love who is always cold or who loves to snuggle up on the sofa, this is the SOFTEST blanket I've ever had. Perfect for an at-home movie night!

Stel Gal No Wrinkles Desert Hat - Dreaming of summer? Make sure they have something to look forward to with this Stel Gal No Wrinkles hat. It will make them feel stylish, but the best thing about it is that it will help protect their skin from that pesky sun damage!

xoxo, 

Jenise

The first book I finished in 2021 was Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris. If you read and enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz, then I would recommend Cilka's Journey. Cilka's story is a follow-up to The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and it follows the title character Cilka. At 18, she is liberated from Auschwitz only to be taken to The Vortuka gulag (work camp) in Siberia. She is sentenced to 15 years there and this is the story of how she uses her wits, intellect and charm to survive. 

Reading books like these are always hard. Cilka was so young when she was captured by the Nazis. She did what she had to do to survive, and that includes giving her body over to Nazi soldiers. She is petrified that the women she befriends in Siberia will find out what she did in Auschwitz and shun her because of it. It's a story of growth, of coming of age, and finding love in the darkest of places. But it's not easy to read. To read about the starvation that these women endured, the conditions in which they lived, and the manner in which they were treated makes me very grateful for all the comforts we have. And to read the author's notes and find that Cilka was in fact, based on a real person, makes the story even more poignant.

If you're looking for a World War II novel, this is a great one.

xoxo, 

​Jenise

For so many of us, our phones are a huge extension of our daily lives. We communicate, we take photos, it wakes us up, we work from them. The list goes on! I love finding new apps that help make tasks easier, and here are 5 that I've discovered recently that are great! 

​1. Alpaca - Tired of sorting through 24,000 photos on your camera roll like me? Alpaca groups together like photos (ex: when you take 15 photos of the kids to make sure you get one good one) so you can go through them quickly and select which ones you want to keep. I've been trying to use it at the end of each day to cut down on the excess photos on my phone. 

2. Hallow - A Catholic meditation app that offers guided meditation sessions, prayers, and daily readings. If you've been looking for a way to incorporate some of these things into your day more easily, check this app out. There is a subscription if you want to access everything, but there are also many prayers you can access for free. 

3. Splitwise - If you take trips with friends or family and want to make sure you split expenses, this is a really good one. We used this with our friends on our recent trip to Lake Oconee and it was so easy to keep track of the expenses. 

4. Instagram Threads - This is for my social media peeps. I often get messages on Instagram asking me to caption my stories because people are watching them while baby is sleeping or they don't want to disturb someone around them. Instagram Threads allows me to caption my stories and use my favorite Instagram filters at the same time. 

5. Libby - I have talked about Libby before! I use this to borrow digital copies of books from my local library, which saves me a TON of money. You can place books on hold, and once you borrow them, they stay on your device for 21 days. If Libby doesn't work with your library, you can try Overdrive. 

Let me know if you try any of these and how you like them! And if you have any other super cool app suggestions, let me know - I'd love to try them out!

xoxo, 

Jenise